NEW TWIST AS COURT DOCUMENTS REVEAL DIG LAGAT WAS ON LEAVE, DID NOT STEP ASIDE OVER OJWANG'S MURDER PROBE

Fresh details have emerged indicating that Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Eliud Lagat did not formally step aside over the controversial death of blogger Albert Ojwang as earlier announced. Instead, according to newly filed court documents, DIG Lagat began an 18 day annual leave on June 17, approved by Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.

Ojwang, aged 31, was a blogger and a teacher . He was arrested on June 7, 2025, reportedly after a defamation complaint linked to Lagat’s office, and transferred to Nairobi's Central Police Station. On June 8, he was found unconscious in his cell and later pronounced dead at Mbagathi Hospital. An initial police statement claiming he had harmed himself was later retracted after a post-mortem revealed severe head injuries and neck compression consistent with assault.

Ojwang was laid to rest on June 15, 2025, in his rural home in Siaya County, during an emotional ceremony attended by family, local leaders, and fellow bloggers who demanded justice.

His death triggered nationwide protests under the slogan Stop killing us,forcing senior police officials to respond publicly. President William Ruto condemned the incident as heartbreaking and unacceptable, confirming it occurred at the hands of police officers. So far, at least six officers have been arrested and charged.

Questions remain over why Lagat’s leave was framed as stepping aside rather than disclosed transparently.